


Warning

by cate-lynne (catelynne)



Category: Avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 13:36:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5250116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catelynne/pseuds/cate-lynne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce's worst nightmare comes true: he changes into the Hulk while the reader is in the room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a while, so this is just something short.

It was a normal day in the lab.  Tony, Bruce, and I were working on a “Hulk tranq”, as Tony was calling it.  We needed to find something other than a metal fist that could know out the Hulk.  I was in the middle of laughing at one of Tony’s jokes while Bruce was quietly working across the room.  He had been a little distant lately, but I tried not to let it bother me.  He loved me, I knew that.  The beginning of our relationship had been quite entertaining, with Bruce getting jealous every time Tony casually touched me, or joked around to impress me, or…I don’t know, breathed in the same room.  Eventually I had dragged him to a coffee shop where we got cinnamon rolls and talked about books until I flat out told him I liked him and Tony couldn’t change that.  His smile had been breathtaking.

The sound of breaking glass broke me out of my reverie.   Tony and I looked up to see Bruce shaking his hand, sending droplets of blood and a clear liquid everywhere.

“Shit,” he muttered,

Lying in pieces on the table was a test tube of acid – the acid that was all over Bruce’s hands.

“Shit,” Tony echoed, a bit more panic in his voice.

“Bruce, are you - ” I started, only to feel Tony’s hand tight around mine, pulling me backwards.  I had no idea what was going on. “Tony, let go.”

But Tony had seen something in Bruce’s face that I hadn’t.  Panic.  And a little bit of green.

Still pulling me towards the door, he started speaking quickly and quietly.

“Hey, sweetheart, maybe we should – “

There was a sudden roar of pain from behind us and both of our heads whipped around to see the Hulk, huge and green, barreling towards us.

“-RUN!”


	2. Sorry

I was on the roof.  It was my hideout lately, a place where I could come and think, just watching the city below me.  It was so quiet, compared to a few hours ago.  The Hulk had torn apart the lab,  throwing tables and equipment in front of the door so that Tony and I were trapped.  Tony had called a couple of his suits and put one on, making the other open up so I could step inside the metal cocoon.  We huddled in the corner, hoping the Hulk wouldn’t see us. I was terrified.  I had never seen the Hulk.  After hours of reducing everything in the lab to pieces, he finally calmed down enough to turn back into Bruce.  I didn’t blame him at all for the episode, but after, he had retreated to his room, barely looking at me, except to see that I was safe.  He quietly thanked Tony for protecting me before leaving.

So now, I was on the roof, waiting to see what would happen.  I knew Bruce was probably beating himself up inside for what could have happened, but the fact of the matter is, it didn’t.  But Bruce wouldn’t be able to let go of the “could haves”, “would haves”, and the “might haves”.

The elevator door opened behind me and I knew right away it was Bruce.  No one else knew I was up here.

“I’m sorry.”  He said it so quietly, I almost didn’t hear him over the sounds of the city.

“I don’t want you to be sorry,” I said, sighing.  I turned around to look at him.  He looked awful. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was in disarray.  His clothes were rumpled.

“Then what?”

“It’s not your fault-”

“Like hell it isn’t-”

“You had no control over-”

“Exactly!” he yelled.  “I had no control!  I could have killed you, (Y/N).  And Tony.  The two most important people in my life could have died because of me.”

“But we didn’t!  We were fine!”

“Because of Tony.” he said, agreeing.  “Tony can protect you, keep you away from the things in this world that can hurt you.”

“Bruce…”

“Don’t.  Do you realize what it would do to me if I hurt you?”

Since he seemed to want an answer, I shook my head.  He strode forward and pulled me close, holding my head in his hands so he could rest his forehead against mine.

“It would destroy me,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes and melted into his touch, wrapping my arms around his waist to hold him close for now.  I knew I would never understand the weight he had in his shoulders, the fear that he could hurt the ones who mattered most to him.  So for now, I would be here, by his side, for as long as he would let me be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I have a few ideas for some other fics, but I wanted to ease myself back into writing with something small. I probably could have kept it one chapter, but oh well.


End file.
